Two top Iranian judges shot dead in Tehran supreme court in ‘planned assassination’ by gunman who then shot himself
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TWO veteran Iranian Supreme Court judges have been shot dead by an assailant who later took his own life. Judge Mohammad Moghiseh, 68, and Judge Ali Razini, 71, were known for handling high-profile cases "fighting crimes against national security, espionage and terrorism".
![[Supreme Court Judges Mohammad Moghiseh and Ali Razini in Tehran.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supreme-court-judges-mohammad-moghiseh-964708585.jpg?strip=all&w=555)
The Iranian judiciary said the assailant killed the two senior judges in a “planned assassination” in Tehran. The judiciary's Mizan Online website said: "This morning, a gunman infiltrated the Supreme Court in a planned act of assassination of two brave and experienced judges.
![[Supreme Court Judge Mohammad Moghiseh in Tehran.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/supreme-court-judges-mohammad-moghiseh-964708584.jpg?strip=all&w=574)
"The two judges were martyred in the act.". It is thought to have been a terrorist act, according to reports. A guard was also injured in the attack. The motive behind their killing was not immediately clear, but Mizan said the assailant was not involved in any cases before the Supreme Court.
![[Police officers outside a judiciary building in Tehran, Iran, following the assassination of Supreme Court judges.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/members-police-stand-front-judiciary-964663874.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
No further details on the attacker's identity were released. President Masoud Pezeshkian said: "I strongly urge the security and law enforcement forces to take the necessary measures as soon as possible by examining the dimensions and angles of this reprehensible act and to identify its perpetrators.".
Moghisseh was sanctioned in 2019 by the United States for having "overseen countless unfair trails, during which charges went unsubstantiated and evidence was disregarded", according to the US Department of the Treasury. He was also sanctioned in 2011 by the EU.
